The Scroll Shop (Ed of H's Shop Thread)

[pauldo]

Always appreciate your posts.   
The back of the Crossroads headstock is unique.   Their bracing looks fancy.   I thought acoustics guitar bridges were typically glued; are those threaded ‘screws’ in that one picture holding the bridge in place?

[edwardofhuncote]

A good many Gibson guitar bridges were glued, and screwed down, Paul... and came that way. They would hide the screw heads under decorative pearl dots. (see my J-35 and LG-2 bridges below...)

C.F. Martin & Co. never adopted this practice, though quite a few Martin bridges got fastened this way later in life. I've got a little plastic drawer in the shop of machine screws and nuts, removed from guitars over the years.

I think what you see on the Crossroads headstock is that diamond-shaped volute... it's a carryover from Martin Style 28/41/45, though they exaggerated it somewhat. The volute (for Martin) is vestigial. Back in the old days, their headstock was a second piece grafted on, and the arrow/diamond volute (which really is not a volute) strengthened and backed the joint.

Here ya' go- https://vintagemartin.com/volutes.html


*volutes, to violin-makers, are an entirely different thing. (Ward would want me to clarify that...)

[cozmik_cowboy]

So, not only a loose ripoff of a Martin design, but a loose ripoff of Alvarez's logo.

I have seen the drilled bracing on some high-end guitar; I disremember the builder.  His theory is to keep strength while increasing resonance.  Never playe done, so i can't comment on the efficacy.

Peter

[edwardofhuncote]

Y'know, I didn't even catch that logo, Coz.... haven't worked on an Alvarez in a good long while, but you are correct; it could be a take on their mirror-image "A" art, not as much the "YA" Yairi ones. I don't know if it was intended or not. It's very angular and plain in comparison.


https://alvarezguitars.com/why-alvarez/

[edwardofhuncote]

I had to look back through the thread to see if I even posted about this one... I did, a few posts back, but the day-gig is burning up all my brain power, and I simply can't do this and that too. At risk of sounding whiney, my Water Treatment Plants are a disaster. I've been 20 very long days back on the job trying to untangle the dorked-up mess that resulted from my 16 weeks outta' there. Another 4 weeks, (that I was supposed to be off) and I really don't know if a few things could be saved.

Anyway, the Scroll Shop... I just don't have the energy for it at night, so only weekends now.

The Strad-O-Lin. It was an easy fix/touch-up, setup and restringing job for Fret Mill Music. Turned out really nice. I took it back to the store this week. And I picked up a couple more jobs; a Pisgah Banjo Co. Dobson-style 5-string, needing some capo spikes installed, and an Art & Luthierie 12-string guitar needing a bridge reglue.

Pisgah Banjo Co. makes really nice, traditional oldtyme banjos on 1800's patterns. They're out in Western North Carolina  (not too far from Dave) and got an interesting backstory. https://www.pisgahbanjos.com This one is walnut, with an aluminum spun-over shell, and brass hardware. Super-nice, top-shelf banjo.

Art & Lutherie, is a Canadian build. They made the Seagull brand guitars too. All solid wood, sustainable sources, and CNC'd parts. It's a decent little guitar. Bridge is just lifting on the back corner.

[cozmik_cowboy]

Interesting banjer; never seen one with metal on it like that.

And I will add that Art & Luthierie & Seagull (like Simon & Patrick) are sub-brands of Godin.

Peter

[David Houck]

... Pisgah Banjo Co. ...

They're on the other side of town from me; about 28.5 miles or so.  Backstory video was nice.

[edwardofhuncote]

On a grey, dreary weekend... looking out the window of my Scroll Shop, pondering things. I really need to get back to work on this week's projects for the store. But it's cool if I just sit here another hour or two. Maybe go for a walk before we get another (much-needed) shower.

Friday marked a milestone. Precisely one year by Virginia Retirement System's records, my life sentence is up. What started in October of 1988 will end on December 1st, 2024. I could go before then. I'll effectively be done working before then, that's just the 'official' date. I did the math on it (which was both depressing and stupid, because there's no way it'll actually work out like this) and I will actually only be on-duty for 168.5 days next year. That's provided I use all the paid leave and holidays before "turning in my keys". The plan is to take the week off following a week/weekend I am on stand-by duty. That'll burn up four days a month by itself, and essentially I'll be working the other three weeks. Obviously I won't be able to do that every month, so some months, I'll take two weeks off. And burn a few banked holidays in between too. If we get up to about August or September and there's still a pile of unused leave. Well... at that point I will move to phase four, (push the 🔴) and use it all at one time.

All this scheming and planning is the long way of saying; I am most likely going to open the shop as a business before the fiscal year starts. It'll already be in motion when I mark WQ-413 out-of-service for the last time.


Back to work. Projects await...

[kilowatt]

Greg,

All this is a lot to contemplate. I turn 60 in March, and can retire with moderate penalties. Financially I will be fine. What's going to keep my hands occupied, is another story. It's obvious you love to do the repair work. If you can add a little $ towards your pension, that's even better. It's not really work, if you enjoy doing it. If it was all about the money, most of us here could sell all our instruments, and associated paraphernalia, and have a bigger nest egg. Not going to happen here, or probably with any of you. Just do whatever you find enjoyable. The best part of being retired will be the ability to do what you want, when you want, timeclock be damned!
Best wishes on whatever you chose. I'm glad you are on the mend, and playing again.

Regards,
Pete

[garyhead]

One thing few folks consider is the end of “work stress.”  Especially if you were an “on call” or emergency call out. You’ll sleep better at night too.  Enjoy.

[KR]

Greg, your post makes me think of my brother in law who is able to retire, but is worried because his job is his only social outlet; He's a year away, too. I'm starting to take less and less work now, but have my wonderful wife to keep me busy. Your luthiery skills are enviable, and what a great outlet for you, and you can still play out. My brother had a year left and bailed early.

[edwardofhuncote]

Thanks fellas. I've been thinking about this and weighing options for a good long while now. I plan to keep my Virginia Waterworks liscense current for at least one more term, but unless I am doing something in the field I will probably let it expire in 2027. I'm just ready to go do something else. Other than the short stint in music, and the side-hustles peripheral to it, I've worked in Public Service Utilities my entire adult life. And really, given my health, I don't need the physicality of this gig anymore. The late-night phone calls, the long days, the short nights. 32 years is enough... it's time to move on.

I'm not allowed to post much about my job on social media, and I while I don't participate in any platforms of it other than music-related discussion forums, (this one and two more) they say it still counts. So I can't really get into all my reasoning for checking out. And... It ain't over yet. This is not going to be a nice easy coast to the finish. There won't be any big party. No fanfare, no hubbub at all. Chances are, outside the immediate group I deal with daily, no one will even know when my last day was... I just won't be there at the next company function. Next year at the awards luncheon, they'll put up grainy picture from my ID badge, and someone from management who never knew me, will announce that I retired with blah-blah-blah, and a golf clap will clatter through a room full of people who never heard of me either, and that'll be it. Almost everyone I came up through the ranks with is either already gone, and sad to say, a bunch already passed on. There is no one left from "the old days" but me.

2024 has the hallmarks of being a very hard last year. But I don't plan to slow down or slack off... when I leave, you can bet your ass there'll be an Ed of H shaped hole in the wall where I left the building. Somebody might wonder about that one day.

[garyhead]

I hear ya. When I “retired” I was burning up my vacation when I heard from a colleague that I had been replaced with a Croatian (works cheaper) Chief Engineer. A YEAR after I left, someone in management ask where I was….another employee told him I probably retired.  A fitting end…..management wondering where I was.  I was 45, and receive a monthly pension check for the rest of my life. Have been retired now 18 years and still don’t need to supplement my income.

[hammer]

It's not much different at public universities. To honor my 35-years of teaching and service at the UMN (which they didn't do until I had 37 years of service at the University because someone forgot) I was given a pen...that didn't work! I'm still pestered by the University every once in a while to select "commemorative merchandise" from the University "bookstore" (they don't' sell books there anymore, it's all electronic) to commemorate my 15, 20 , 25, & 30th anniversaries. However, I've got enough coffee mugs and sweatshirts with goofy looking gophers on them (Yes, University's mascot is a "Golden Gopher) to last me for a lifetime. When I retire though, they'll probably have to carry me out of my office, as i honestly wouldn't know what to do with my time and at my age there only so much cycling, skiing and playing guitar one can do.

[cozmik_cowboy]

Back in the day, when we'd work the CaBooze, we'd stay at the Campus Gopher Motel; sign was a large pole with that critter sitting atop.
Yes, we made many an obscene comment about it.......

Peter